


petals to save your heart

by louviere



Series: hq fantasy series [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anxiety, Curses, Emotional Hurt Iwaizumi Hajime, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, HaikyuuAngstWeek2020, Hanahaki Disease, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Angst, M/M, Mentions of Vomitting, Natural Flirt Oikawa Tooru, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Pining Iwaizumi Hajime, Surgery, inaccurate depictions of angels, no one dies but the ending is sad, unbeta-d because author is sleep deprived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louviere/pseuds/louviere
Summary: Long ago, there were angels with specific roles and tasks. The savior, the guardian, the comfort, and many more. One of them is the infamous love angel. The love angel fell in love with the god of love. However, the god’s fate has already been decided and is already for someone else to marry. The angel despises the thought of one-sided love and created a curse for all: a flower blooming inside one’s lungs.In which Iwaizumi Hajime is one of the unfortunate humans who’s suffering from the angel’s curse.[#HaikyuuAngstWeek Day 5: Hanahaki Disease]
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: hq fantasy series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000683
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	petals to save your heart

**Author's Note:**

> i would like to apologize in advance... writing dialogues is such a pain in my life so expect that... i’m not good at writing it. btw, i’m using they/them pronouns for the angel!

Long ago, there were angels with specific roles and tasks. The savior, the guardian, the comfort, and many more. One of them is the infamous love angel. 

When a human turns 16 years old, wishes can finally be granted by an angel who can hear it. But just like how life throws a rock on you, angels may grant your wishes that may cause pain to you or others. It all depends on the decision of the human asking for his wish to be granted. 

The love angel fell in love with the god of love. However, the god’s fate has already been decided and is already for someone else to marry. The angel despises the thought of one-sided love and created a curse for all: a flower blooming inside one’s lungs.

To stop the pain, to end it all, to not love again.

Even so, the love angel continued listening to the desperate cries for love, even hear the cursing of humans when they've been cheated on, the unrequited love, and of course, as expected, the most common problem that humans also face: the pain of being on one-sided love.

The love angel doesn’t understand it themselves, why did the love god create this feeling— that flutters your heart but also breaks it into million pieces when not reciprocated? How come love exists but sometimes it’s not meant to be felt mutually? 

“Please, I can’t take the pain anymore.”  The angel shut their eyes closed. It’s peaceful. In the heavens, it’s so warm. They’re just right there, alone and sitting under the soft clouds. Listening to humans cry.

Maybe they should help this one out.

* * *

Iwaizumi Hajime woke up with tears in his eyes. He felt it again inside him — as if there was a pair of hands strangling his neck deeply and he’s slowly running out of breath, almost dying. For some reason though, he has been thinking about his death these past few days whenever he feels this way.

This didn’t happen today but it started to bloom 2 years ago. He doesn’t have any idea how he got it but one thing’s for sure, it’s triggered by one person. It only happens when that special person is around. 

Hajime is consistently a member of the Journalism Club at their school. He’s currently a writer in the literary section. He is also often seen hanging out with their club's editor-in-chief, Oikawa Tooru who happens to be his childhood friend. Everyone is already fond of their friendship and some even ship them. 

Sad to say those ships are just everyone’s pure imagination and a dream — even for Hajime. He acts like he doesn’t like any romantic thing to go on between him and Oikawa, he pretends that he doesn't like it but inside, he wants it to happen as well. He wants to be with him.

He wants to hold his hands, intertwine their fingers, and sway it together. He wonders if Oikawa’s lips are soft pressed to his. He always thinks of how Oikawa’s arms would perfectly fit his body. He imagines how comforting it would be like to cuddle with him. 

Whenever they're alone together, working and talking about the school paper, Oikawa becomes extra attractive. He is really serious and strict yet he still shines brightly in Iwaizumi’s eyes. He’d read Iwaizumi’s writing and smile and motivate him. He’d tell him, "You did great once again, Iwa-chan!" Those are just simple words but it can make Hajime’s heartbeat fast.

This was all normal. This was all before the pain started to consume his whole body. First, it was just his lungs, first it was just coughing.

2 weeks before spring, Iwaizumi is starting to feel different. It’s no longer a mere  crush.  It’s blooming. The feelings are growing and the conclusion of it: he was in love. In love with Oikawa Tooru. His childhood friend, the guy who always annoys him when they were kids, the guy who always asks for a selfie and peace out his hands. That quirky brown-haired guy.

Spring started it all.

"I’m so sorry to disappoint everyone and once again, thank you!" Oikawa finished his speech and smiled at everyone he shared eye contact with. His eyes met Iwaizumi’s and kept the same smile on his face and slowly walk in his direction to seat beside him.

"Why exactly are you leaving the club?" The speech Oikawa had earlier was his goodbye speech to the club. The editor-in-chief position is now passed to a Sophomore. 

Oikawa seems to be hesitating to tell him the truth and only replied with a shrug and patted Iwaizumi’s shoulder. "I just feel like leaving. I know it’s weird because we’re close to graduating but I think it’s also the perfect time to pass the big role to someone else! Good luck and continue writing though, Iwa-chan! Your poems always overwhelm me! I’m glad this club have you because you always give us a beautiful literary page and pieces every month. All thanks to you!"

"No, Oikawa, thanks to you."  _ Thanks to you because all my writings are about you. _

"Thank you for what?" Oikawa chuckled, also looking confused. "You wrote those, Iwa-chan! I only helped you out on revising it but it’s yours. Come on now, acknowledge yourself, okay?"

This is one of the reasons why Iwaizumi admires him. He’s so sincere. You just suddenly don't want to believe in the saying, "Action speaks louder than words,” because Oikawa is so good with his words. Every single word coming out of his mouth is sincere. It’s obvious from his heart. You will feel it once you hear it from him.

But even though they are laughing together at that time, Iwaizumi noticed the sadness in his best friend's eyes.

He’s hiding something.

Days passed by, the sun is shining brightly and the flowers are looking much more beautiful than the first day of spring, Oikawa started skipping his classes which is very unlike him. He is known for his good reputation at school. Perfect attendance and top student.

Hajime starts to believe that there is something wrong with him. He’s deeply worried that his best friend might be hiding something. Like, he could be in pain or he has struggles that he's carrying on his own. He knows that Oikawa is good at hiding his problems and he’s probably having a hard time. It frustrates Iwaizumi thinking that he doesn’t have any idea how to help him.

Iwaizumi waited for their last subject's dismissal and as soon as he's out of their classroom, he starts to search for Oikawa once again.

After an hour of subtle playing of hide and seek with Oikawa Tooru, he finally showed up.

Iwaizumi didn't like what he saw.

There was his best friend, the boy he loves, Oikawa freaking Tooru... kissing another man who happens to be one of their friends as well. Hanamaki.

He painfully smiled and turned his back around. Iwaizumi forgot one thing about his best friend.

He’s a natural flirt.  That’s why he's so good with words. Flattery. Flowery.

He couldn’t take what he saw and runaway but he has no idea that he is being followed by a huge burden and a curse.

He opened the comfort room's door and looked at the mirror. Iwaizumi washed his face to stop himself from weeping and crying. He almost took all the tissues on the vendo machine to wipe his face, stopping the tears falling from his eyes. He suddenly felt dizzy and felt like he ate something bad. There’s an urge to vomit.

Iwaizumi’s throat starts to get itchy and that's when he keeps on coughing. The comfort room echoed his cough and when he finally returns to the sink and he faced himself, what he saw was horrible yet... beautiful.

The flowers that bloomed inside his lungs and chest. It has been existing for quite some time. He’s having constant pain chests from the previous months but this is the only day where he coughed and vomited  something.

His facial expression can't be explained, his knees start to get weak and his throat continues feeling itchy; he wants to cough again. And so he did. 

He kept on coughing while every flower petals coming out of his mouth keeps falling on the floor.

"What is this," he asked himself. Hands trembling. Voice nasal. Eyes teary. “Why is this happening to me?”

He rested his back on the wall and stayed there for a while to calm himself. After a long minute, he felt normal again and stood up to wash his face. After wiping his face, he looked at the mirror and saw a figure standing on his back, smiling like he has been waiting for this day to happen.

Iwaizumi almost jumps in surprise when the figure taps his shoulder. He looks up to it and it was a creature that almost looks like a human. It’s shining brightly.

"Hello there, Iwaizumi Hajime, I’d like to explain what is happening," The creature kept his right hand on Hajime’s left shoulder. "You’re sick."

"What do you mean? I’m completely healthy."

"No, dear, that is called the Hanahaki Disease," Iwaizumi’s expression changed from annoyed to confused. His reaction made the mysterious creature smile wider. "It is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient throws up and coughs of flower petals when they suffer from it.”

"What? Are you stupid? There’s no such thing as Hanahaki Disease!"

"Are you sure about that? You’ve seen it yourself. You feel it inside. The proof is also already in your hands," Iwaizumi frozen. He stared at the flower petals on his hands and those that fell on the floor. He placed his right hand on his chest and feel something painful in his heart. It’s not on his heart, it’s in the lungs. But somehow, the pain of one-sided love is just right  inside of him.  He starts to feel anxious about the whole thing. Not just with the disease but also with the weird-looking creature beside him. "So, Iwaizumi Hajime, you may wanna stop staring at me now because only have 2 days left. There’s a way to cure this. If you don't make a decision, you'll die."

"No!” He replied, almost in a shout. “I can’t die, what decision are you talking about? A cure?”

"Mmhm,” the white-haired creature nodded his head. “For some reason, this disease can be cured by undergoing surgery. Heart surgery, not lungs. But it has consequences.”

“What?”

“Your feelings will fade together with the petals inside you.”

Iwaizumi’s getting stressed with all the information being thrown to him. It’s unbelievable. There’s no such thing as this kind of disease, there’s no such thing as a surgery taking out your feelings. It’s too much. He’s starting to get sweaty and more anxious. 

“Calm down,” he snaps back to reality when he heard the creature talk to him again. “If you don’t make a decision now. In two days, you’ll die. If you give it a try for the surgery, you will no longer feel something for Oikawa Tooru. So what are you going to choose? Spend the rest of your two days suffering in pain because of your one-sided love for him or die alone without them knowing how?"

Die. One-sided love. Surgery.

He doesn't want to die. Hajime still wants to study more about dinosaurs. He still has many stories and poems he wants to read and write.

But if he stays like this, this one-sided love for Oikawa will kill him. If he undergoes the surgery, he'd still be alive but he won't feel anything.

He can still see his best friend— with not feeling anything.

He still wants to feel something. He doesn't want to completely feel blank— yet he doesn't want this love to keep hurting him. It’s stupid and selfish.

Sometimes, you just like making someone feel loved. Even though they have no idea, you just want to pour all the love you have into one person because you believe they're special and even if they won't love you back, it's just nice that you were able to share those feelings and make them feel that way. Because love makes everyone happy. 

He accepted his fate.

He glanced at his reflection on the mirror and there he saw the creature, looking back at him, "May I ask who you are first?"

They smiled back at him again and only gave him a short response. “I’m an angel.”

Although he still has a lot of questions, he just nodded anxiously. The whole comfort room became quiet. Only the sound of their breathing can be heard and it was interrupted when Iwaizumi mumbled something.

"I—” He closed his eyes and slammed the bathroom sink with his hands. It hurts but what has grown inside him is more painful. "I’ll go with the surgery."

"Why?" The creature’s creepy smile came back as he questioned him.

"You know exactly why! I’m in stupid one-sided love with my best friend just like what you said! I’d rather kill the feelings than myself!"

"Good choice, I’ll be back tomorrow for your surgery, alright?" Iwaizumi wants the surgery to happen today because he doesn't want to cough flower petals anymore. It’s too much. It felt like something’s stuck on his throat and he just wants to take them all out in one cough. The angel snapped their fingers and all the flower petals on the comfort room disappeared. He wiped them all out. Iwaizumi wanted to ask something about it but the angel started shining brightly and disappeared.

* * *

“It’s me,” the angel watches Iwaizumi who couldn’t stop stomping his feet while waiting for the surgery. “Stay still and calm down.”

“What if you just want to kill me?”

“I don’t. This surgery is safe.” 

The angel disappeared again when the medical team entered the surgery room. Iwaizumi closed his eyes feeling the injection of the nurse to put him into sleep. 

Watching from outside the room, the angel glanced at Iwaizumi and took out his communicator to send a message to the heavens.

"Hello, it’s me. I found a heart to transfer for the person with heart failure disease. The donor's name is Iwaizumi Hajime.”

"Good work, Angel. What will happen to your human friend though?”

"Well... he'll have a different heart. One that doesn't beat for others but only for himself so he'd be able to continue living but he won't feel anything even love nor hatred."

"Alright then, thank you, angel. Mission accomplished,” the god almost cut the string but remembers something. “Oh, what’s the name of the patient who’ll receive the heart?”

“Oikawa Tooru.”

* * *

The flowers started to bloom again. 

It is beautiful, Hajime whispered to himself. He wonders why he found it pretty but couldn’t bring himself to smile. He wonders why everything feels so dull and empty. 

He wonders why he can’t laugh at Oikawa’s jokes anymore. Is there something missing?

On the other hand, Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi, wondering when he changed. When he gets too serious— distant. He looked up at the sky and thought to himself. “When will Iwaizumi love me back?”

The angel who heard Oikawa’s hopeless wish sighed.

If only humans were more true and understanding with their feelings, things could’ve been better. Loving could’ve been better.

This is the consequence of humans being a coward. One must pay.

A curse the angel set to everyone so they won’t have to suffer in pain alone.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! as you can see this is part of my “hq fantasy series” i’m planning to write different fantasy au for different ships! i hope you support me and liked this fic. please scream at me and let’s be moots on [twitter!](https://twitter.com/keijitoss)


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